Ten Of The Best Backwards Compatible Games From Xbox's 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Xbox 20th Anniversary celebration certainly delivered up plenty of tasty stuff for players to get excited about, not least of all Halo Infinite's excellent multiplayer mode releasing a full three weeks early and, alongside this headline stealth drop, there were also a whopping 76 games added to Xbox's backwards compatibility program.

That's a lot of games to sift through, some great, some good and some, well...not so hot. So, in order to help guide you to the very best of the bunch with regards to this latest batch of backwards compatible titles, we've put together a quick list of our top ten personal favourites.

Let's take a look at our picks!

Binary Domain (Xbox 360)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's 2012 shooter has become a cult classic over the years and for plenty of good reason.

Binary Domain's post-apocalyptic story tells of a world where robots are now the main workforce and charges you with blasting the hell out of absolutely tons of them, issuing commands to your squad and watching how your actions and attitude affected the game's storyline through its unique Consequence System.

What really makes Binary Domain worthy of inclusion on this list is just how good it feels to rip robots apart here, blowing chunks off their exoskeletons with great big meaty weapons as they cleverly flank and swarm your position. It's cathartic, OTT and ridiculous in all the best possible ways, looks great, has a completely mad story and stands up well to repeated playthroughs. If you haven't yet, we strongly recommend you seek this one out and get stuck in, especially now that this backwards compatible version supports FPS Boost, giving you an ultra slick 60fps experience.

F.E.A.R. (Xbox 360)

Monolith's 2005 horror/shooter was a real graphical showpiece when it first released, one of the best looking games of its era that matched stunning looks with plenty of top-notch gameplay.

Assuming control of an unnamed point-man as he blasts his way through legions of telepathically controlled supersoldier clones, players here are treated to some amazingly kinetic combat with the game's signature slo-mo mechanic adding a Matrix-esque bent to proceedings as you duck and weave through incoming bullets and take down your foes.

It's not all combat either, as F.E.A.R. successfully nails its heady mix of shooter action and slow-burn psychological horror, its story evolving in interesting ways as it drags you through some truly creepy locations. With superb action set-pieces, a non-stop onslaught of baddies to dispatch in style and some excellent narrative twists and turns, this first entry is the best in the series and remains a must-play title sixteen years later.

Gunvalkyrie (Xbox)

Smilebit's 2002 third-person shooter is hard, let's get that out of the way first of all. This is a tough, tough game that relentlessly assaults you with creatures form every possible angle but, take the time to learn its intricacies, and you'll be rewarded with a very, very good time indeed.

With a completely bonkers sci-fi story that sees you assume the role of a Gunvalkyrie - a super human warrior who can harness the power of Halley's Comet - who's dispatched to Tir na Nog in order to battle with all manner of insectoid beasties, there's ten huge levels full of pulse-pounding action to get to grips with here.

With two playable characters to select from, a slick dual-analog stick control system and graphics which were absolutely state-of-the-art back in 2002, this is an action game for fans of punishing shooters, and one we highly recommend digging into.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Xbox)

It may seem a little dated by today's standards but Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast is still a fantastic Star Wars game and a bit of a must-play for fans of the franchise.

Kyle Katarn's epic adventure sees you turn from mercenary to Jedi Master and is filled with clever puzzles, some excellent force powers and lots of top-notch lightsaber battles along the way. There's tons of lore, a brilliant atmosphere and a few nice cameos for Star Wars fans, and we reckon the bits of this one that have aged a little poorly are still well worth bearing with in order to experience all that's good about Raven Software's 2002 classic.

Manhunt (Xbox)

Rockstar's infamous 2003 survival/stealth effort, Manhunt is a gruesome, violent and honestly quite disturbing video game nasty, one that was met with plenty of controversy when it first released, but it's also a fantastically absorbing, atmospheric and clever action game that drags you into its murky world and doesn't let go until it's done.

Assuming the role of James Earl Cash, you're released from death row in order to wade through Carcer City, killing gangs of psychos for the pleasure of a shadowy director. The whole thing is framed in a wonderfully unique and stylish way and the 24 levels on offer give you tons of opportunity to experiment with the game's solid stealth mechanics. Look past the violence here and you've got a super-engrossing, delightfully tactical and supremely tight action game to get to grips with.